Bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanisms for sewing machines



July 18, 1967 G. GOEBEL ETAL BOBBIN THREAD REPLENISHING PROGRAMMING MECHANISMS FOR SEWING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 23, 1965 INVENTORS Gregory Goebel WITNESS Edward J. Tullman gm BY v j /AITQRNE Y July 18, 1967 G. GOEBEL ETAL 3,331,343 BOBBIN THREAD REPLENISHING PROGRAMMING MECHANISMS FOR SEWING MACHINES ild Oct. 23. 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I NVEN TORS Gregory Goebel WITNESS Wmy '9- V G. GOEBEL. ETAL BOBBIN THREAD REPLENISHING PROGRAMMING MECHANISMS FOR SEWING MACHINES July 18, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 23, 1965 n fi m e mw ma v W. J m 0 w md GE July 18, 1967 s. GOEBEL ETAL BOBBIN THREAD REPLENISHING PROGRAMMING MECHANISMS FOR SEWING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 25. 1965 INVENTORS Gregory Goebel Edward J. Tullman WITNESS ATTORNEY United States Patent Union, N.J., assignors to The Singer Company, New

York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 503,184 12 Claims. (Cl. 112-186) This invention relates to bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanisms for sewing machines and more particularly to a mechanism with which different preselected lengths of thread can be successively and recurringly wound onto a bobbin while the bobbin is in place in the loop-taker mechanism in the sewing machine bed.

In sewing machines of the type disclosed in United States patents of S. I. Ketterer et al., No. 3,012,530, granted Dec. 12, 1961, and S. J. Ketterer, No. 3,115,855, granted Dec. 31, 1963, in which thread is wound onto the bobbin while the bobbin is in place in the loop-taker mechanism, it is important in cyclic machines to remove all of the old thread from the bobbin before a new supply of thread is wound onto the bobbin. If all of the old thread is not removed from the bobbin, the new thread may become ensnarled with the old thread, or the new thread may not become wedged in the V-groove in the hub of the bobbin so that subsequent winding of the thread by rotation of the bobbin can take place. Therefore, it is important that just the right amount of thread be wound onto the bobbin for each sewing .operation. In making shirts, for example, a number of different sewing operations may be performed requiring several different lengths of thread. In one operation, a long hem may be sewn on the front of the shirt, while in a second operation, a cuff may be added which requires less thread than the long hem. Since a bobbin can hold only a limited amount of thread, it is desired that the bobbin be replenished with just the right amount of thread after each sewing operation in order to avoid running out of bobbin thread before the end of the next sewing operation.

It is, therefore, a primary object of this invention to provide a mechanism with which a plurality of different preselected lengths of threads can be successively and recurringly wound onto a bobbin while the bobbin is in place in the loop-taker mechanism, whereby the sewing machine can be operated automatically without attention by the operator in replacing bobbins.

The objects of the invention are accomplished by pro viding a plurality of timing means for determining the length of thread to be wound onto a bobbin. Preferably the timing means include four adjustable stop screws which are mounted 90 degrees apart on a rotatable turret. The stop means are introduced into a traveling member successively and recurringly through automatic rotation of the turret. The traveling member tracks screw threads on the arm shaft from the introduced stop screw to a fixed cutoff. For a given winding operation, since the length of exposure of each stop screw from the turret is the only readily adjustable variable, that exposure in conjunction with the fixed cutoff determines the length of thread to be wound onto the bobbin. The timing means are operatively interconnected between various mechanisms in the sewing machine so that upon manual manipulation of a wind lever (l) the traveling member falls back on a stop screw, (2) the bobbin thread replenishing mechanism is activated, (3) the work feed mechanism is made ineffective, (4) the thread tension device is released, and (5) preparation is made for 90-degree rotation of the turret before the end of the winding operation to present the next stop screw to the traveling member.

3,331,343 Patented July 18, 1967 Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a sewing machine incorporating the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the sewing machine of FIG. 1 with the top covers removed;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the mechanism in the standard-end of the bed as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the sewing machine of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 66 in FIG. 5.

With reference to the drawings, the bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism is illustrated as incorporated in a sewing machine having a frame which includes a work-supporting bed 10, a hollow standard 11 rising from one end of the bed, a hollow bracket arm 12 at the top of the standard extending laterally over the bed, and a sewing head 13 at the distal end of the bracket arm. The stop of the standard is closed by a cover 14, and a cover 15 which accommodates a, supply of thread in the form of a spool 16. Journaled in the bracket arm is an arm shaft 17 which extends between the head and the standard. At the standard end of the machine, a balance wheel 18 is fixed on the arm shaft. A V-groove 19 is formed in the balanced wheel to accommodate a V-belt 20 from a source of motive power (not shown).

In the bed, there is a loop-taker mechanism indicated generally at 21 having a bobbin and a bobbin thread replenishing mechanism (not shown) of the type disclosed in the aforementioned patents of Ketterer et al., No. 3,012,530, and Ketterer, No. 3,115,855. Forming a breakthrough for the present invention, the bobbin thread replenishing mechanism is adapted to wind thread onto the bobbin while the bobbin is in place in the looptaker mechanism.

The bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism includes timing means which are mounted in the bracket arm. The timing means include a rotatable turret 22 mounted on a shaft 23 which is journaled in bearings 24 in the bracket arm. Protruding from a face of the turret are four adjustable stop screws 25 which are arranged in a circle concentric to the shaft. The stop screws are equally spaced degrees apart.

Fixed on the arm shaft by means of a setscrew 26 is a sleeve 27 and formed on the sleeve are screw threads 28. The screw threads are adapted to mate with follower threads 29 formed akin to a half nut on a follower lever 30. The follower lever is pivotally mounted on a traveling member 31 by a pivot pin 32, and has a nose portion 33. The nose portion of the follower lever is biased toward a hub portion 34 of the traveling member by means of a spring 35 which is cantilevered on the hub portion by means of a screw 36. The distal extremity of the spring bears against the nose portion of the follower lever.

The traveling member 31 is mounted on a pair of parallel rods 37 and 38 for sliding movement parallel to the arm shaft. A stop member 39 is connected to the top of the traveling member by means of screws 40 in elongated slots 4-1 in the stop member. The slots are elongated in a direction parallel to the arm shaft in order to provide an adjustment feature for the stop member 39 relative to the traveling member. A pair of coiled compression springs 42 on the rods 37 and 38 bias the traveling member with the stop member toward the frontmost stop screw 25 on the turret. A locking lever 43 which provides a cutoff means is pivotally mounted in the bracket arm by means of a pivot pin 44 to maintain the follower threads 29 on the follower lever 30 in contact with the screw threads 28 on the arm shaft sleeve until the follower thread end of the follower lever has passed beyond a trip-off end of the locking lever 43 to enable the cantilevered spring 35 to disengage the threads. Althrough shown as constructed of several parts, the locking lever may be one integral part.

In order to establish controlled rotation of the turret 22, indexing means are provided. The indexing means include a gear 46 mounted on the turret shaft 22 and a mating gear 47 having twice the number of teeth mounted on a pivot screw 48. Also mounted on the pivot screw 48 for the mating gear is a ratchet wheel 49 for rotating the mating gear. Teeth 50 on the ratchet wheel are adapted to be engaged by a pawl 51 which is pivotally connected to the distal extremity of a rock arm 52 by means of a pivot pin 53. A spring 54 cantilevered on the cover 15 biases the pawl against the ratchet wheel. The rock arm 52 is connected to a rock shaft 55 which is spring-biased away from the pawl by means of a torsion spring 56 on the rock shaft. The torsion spring is confined on the rock shaft by means of a collar 57 which is held on the rock shaft by setscrews 58. A second rock arm 59 engages a cam surface 60 in a hole 61 in an arm 62 of a bell crank 63. The bell crank is fulcrurned on a pin 64, and another arm 65 of the bell crank is confined in an elongated slot 66 in an indexing lever 67 which extends from the stop member 39 which is carried on the traveling member 31.

The locking lever 43 is connected to the bobbin thread replenishing mechanism through connecting means which include a vertical rod 68 in the standard. The vertical rod is connected to the locking lever by means of a universal joint type connection 69. Formed at the bottom of the rod is a lug 70 having a bore 71 embracing a hinge pin 72. A horizontal slide pin 73 having an car 74 portion at one end is mounted on the hinge pin by means of a bore 75 in the ear portion. The horizontal slide pin 73 slidingly protrudes into a bore 76 in a cam member 77 which is in turn slidingly mounted on a vertical connecting shaft 78 in the standard. The connecting shaft connects the arm shaft to a hollow loop taker shaft 79 in the bed of the sewing machine.

The cam member 77 has cam surfaces 80 and 81 which change vertical motion into horizontal motion by wedging action between corresponding cam follower surfaces 82 and 83 of a cam follower member 84. The cam follower member is slidingly held in a bushing 85 in the bed through a pin 86 on the cam follower member which protrudes into a bore 87 in the bushing. A second pin 88 on the cam follower member and a coaxial shock absorber mechanism indicated generally at 89 transmit horizontal motion to a push rod 90 which is carried in the hollow loop-taker shaft 79 and is connected to the bobbin thread replenishing mechanism as described in the aforementioned patents of Ketterer et al. No. 3,012,530, and Ketterer, No. 3,115,855. The push rod rotates with the loop-taker shaft through a transverse pin 91 which is confined in diametrically opposed circumferential slots 92 in the loop-taker shaft. The slots are elongated in a direction parallel to the loop-taker shaft, and a coiled compression spring 93 on the loop-taker shaft extending between a collar 94 which is fixed on the loop-taker shaft by means of a setscrew 95 and a collar 96 which is connected to the transverse pin 91 for sliding movement on the loop-taker shaft biases the push rod toward the standard-end of the machine. The shock absorber mechanism 89 includes a shouldered pin 97 having a body portion 98 abutting the end of the pin 88 on the cam follower member 84 and a coiled compression spring 99 which is held on, and spans a gap between, pilot portions 100 and 101 on the shouldered pin and the push rod, respectively.

The bobbin thread replenishing programming mecha nism is actuated by actuating means in the form of a wind lever 102 fulcrumed on the standard of the sewing machine by means of a pivot pin 103. The interior arm 104 of the lever mates with a lug 105 projecting from a collar 106 connected to the vertical rod 68 by means of a setscrew 107. A coiled tension spring 108 connected between the collar and a small hole 109 in the bed biases the vertical rod downwardly.

In order to preset the protrusions of the stop screws 25 from the turret 22 and thus vary the lengths of thread to be wound onto the bobbin, an adjusting means is provided. The adjusting means include a bevel gear 110 threaded onto each stop screw and a bevel gear 111 secured by a setscrew 112 on the extremity of the pin 64 on which the aforementioned bell crank 63 of the indexing means is fulcrumed. The pin is slidingly journaled in a bushing 113 in the front of the bracket arm and has a knurled knob 114 on the outside extremity. A coiled compression spring 115 on the pin between the bushing and the knurled knob biases the bevel gear on the pin away from the front-most bevel gear on the turret.

During a bobbin thread winding operation, to prevent interference by a work feeding mechanism indicated generally at 116 which may be of a four-motion or drop feed type as disclosed in a United States patent of R. Kaier, No. 2,172,559, granted Sept. 12, 1939, a work feed throw-out mechanism may be provided. The work feed throw-out mechanism includes the vertical rod 68 in the standard which is connected to the hinge pin 72 in the bed. The hinge pin is held between the distal extremities of opposed levers 117 which are pivotally mounted in the bed by pivot screws 118. A bifurcated link 119 having opposed arms 120 is pivotally mounted on the hinge pin and carries a second hinge pin 121 between the arms at the distal extremity. The second hinge pin is embraced by a bore 122 in the bottom extremity of a feed-lift pitman 123 which has a bore 124 at the top embracing an eccentric 125 on the arm shaft. A second link 126 connects the second hinge pin 121 to a pivot screw 127 on the distal extremity of a rock arm 128 which is clamped onto a feed-lift rock shaft 129 by means of a screw 130. A stop member 131 cantilevered on the bottom of the bed by a screw 132 limits the downward movement of the hinge pin 72 and hence the vertical rod 68 by blocking the downward movement of the distal extremity of one of the levers 117.

Since a thread tension device indicated generally at 133 of the type disclosed in a United States patent of H. Ritter et al., No. 2,848,966, granted Aug. 26, 1958, would interfere with the winding of thread from the spool 16 onto the bobbin in the loop-taker mechanism 21, a thread tension release mechanism may be provided as partially disclosed in the aforementioned patent of Ritter et al. In addition to the portion disclosed in the patent of Ritter et al., the thread tension release mechanism includes an arcuate rock arm 134 resting on the locking lever 43 and connected to a rock shaft 135 journaled in one of the pairs of rods 38 upon which the traveling member 31 rides. The rod 38 is hollow in order to accommodate the rock shaft 135, and the head-end of the rock shaft is connected to the portion of the thread tension release mechanism disclosed in the patent of Ritter et al. to which attention is directed in order to obtain a complete description of the remaining portion of the thread tension release mechanism.

In operation, when it is desired to wind thread onto the bobbin in the loop-taker mechanism 21, the operator simply displaces the wind lever 102 downwardly. The interior arm 104 of the wind lever pushes the vertical rod 68 in the standard upwardly against the action of the tension spring 108. The upward movement of the rod pivots the locking lever 43 about the pivot pin 44 thus providing clearance for the follower lever 30 between the locking lever and the sleeve 27 on the arm shaft. With clearance so provided, the compression springs 42 push the traveling member 31 with the follower lever 30, the indexing lever 67, and the stop member 39 toward the turret 22 until the stop member strikes the protruding end of the frontmost stop screw 25. The wedging action of the top of the locking lever 43 forces the follower threads 29 on the follower lever into engagement with the screw threads 28 against the action of the cantilevered spring 35 on the nose portion 33 of the follower lever, and the follower threads begin to track the screw threads to time the bobbin thread winding operation.

Simultaneously with the foregoing train of events, the upward movement of the vertical rod 68 in the standard is transmitted by the cam member 77 and the cam follower member 84 into horizontal movement of the push rod 90 toward the loop-taker mechanism 21 to activate the bobbin thread replenishing mechanism as described in the previously mentioned patents of Ketterer et al., No. 3,012,530 and Ketterer, No. 3,115,855. In addition, the rod 68 pulls the hinge pin 72 upwardly to place the hinge pins 72 and 121 and the pivot screw 127 on the feed-lift rock arm 128 in a horizontal plane thus cancelling feed-lift motion imparted by the feed-lift pitman 123, the arcuate rock arm 134 connected to the locking lever 43 moves upwardly with the locking lever to rotate the rock shaft 135 thus releasing the thread tension device 133 as described in the previously mentioned patent of Ritter et al., No. 2,848,966, and the indexing lever 67 on the traveling member 31 allows the bell crank 63 to relax and the torsion spring 56 to rotate the shaft 55 so that the pawl 51 can slide over the top of the ratchet wheel 49 to grab a tooth 45 degrees away. During the winding operation, as the traveling member 31 moves away from the front-most stop screw 25, the indexing lever 67 pulls the pawl 51 toward the front of the machine by rotating the shaft 55 through the bell crank 63. The ratchet wheel 49 is rotated 45 degrees and the turret 22 is rotated 90 degrees through the 2:1 gears 47 and 46 so that the next successive stop screw is placed in the front-most position for timing a Winding operation.

When the follower-thread end of the follower lever 30 reaches the trip-off end 45 of the locking lever 43 as the traveling member 31 moves away from the front-most stop screw 25, the cantilevered spring 35 on the hub portion 34 of the traveling member causes the follower threads 29 to disengage from the screw threads 28 on the sleeve on the arm shaft, and the trip-off end of the vice 133 are returned to normal through downward movement of the vertical rod 68 in the standard occasioned by the pivotal movement of the locking lever, 43, and the machine is ready to sew.

The protrusion of each stop screw 25 from the face of the turret 22 is the variable which determines the duration of each winding operation as the traveling mem ber 31 moves from the front-most stop screw to the tripoff end 45 of the locking lever 43. The protrusion of the front-most stop screw from the face of the turret can be changed by pushing the knurled knob 114 on the front of the bracket arm in against the compression spring 115 to press the bevel gear 111 on the pin 64 into engagement with the bevel gear 110 on the front-most stop screw. Rotation of the knob will change the protrusion of the stop screw from the face of the turret. Thus, a bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism has been disclosed with which a plurality of different preselected lengths of thread can be successively and recurringly wound onto a bobbin while the bobbin is in place in the loop-taker mechanism.

Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what is claimed herein'is:

1. A bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism for a sewing machine having a frame, a shaft mounted in the frame, a source of motive power for rotating the shaft, a thread supply associated with the frame, a loop-taker mechanism operatively connected to the shaft, a bobbin mounted in the loop-taker mechanism, and a bobbin thread replenishing mechanism associated With the loop-taker mechanism for replenishing a length of thread from the thread supply onto the bobbin while the bobbin is in place in the loop-taker mechanism, said bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism comprising a plurality of timing means adapted to be connected successively and recurringly to said bobbin thread replenishing mechanism to determine the length of thread to be replenished on said bobbin, indexing means for automatically introducing said timing means successively and recurringly, connecting means for operatively connecting that one of said timing means which has been introduced by said indexing means to the bobbin thread replenishing mechanism, and actuating means for manually initiating operation of said timing means.

2. A bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism for a sewing machine having a frame, a shaft mounted in the frame, a source of motive power for rotating the shaft, a thread supply associated with the frame, a loop-taker mechanism operatively connected to the shaft, a bobbin mounted in the loop'taker mechanism and a bobbin thread replenishing mechanism associated with the loop-taker mechanism for replenishing a length of thread from the thread supply onto the bobbin while the bobbin is in place in the loop-taker mechanism, said bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism comprising a plurality of timing means adapted to be connected successively and recurringly to said bobbin thread replenishing mechanism to determine the length of thread to be replenished on said bobbin, indexing means for automatically introducing said timing means successively and recurringly, connecting means for operatively connecting that one of said timing means which has been introduced by said indexing means to the bobbin thread replenishing mechanism, actuating means for manually initiating operation of said timing means, and adjusting means for manually and individually presetting each one of said timing means for a thread length to be determined thereby.

3. A bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism for a sewing machine having a frame, a shaft mounted in the frame, a source of motive power for rotating the shaft, a thread supply associated with the frame, a loop-taker mechanism operatively connected to the shaft, a bobbin mounted in the loop-taker mechanism, a bobbin thread replenishing mechanism associated with the loop-taker mechanism for replenishing a length of thread from the thread supply onto the bobbin while the bobbin is in place in the loop-taker mechanism, and a work feed mechanism mounted in the frame, said bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism comprising a plurality of timing means adapted to be connected successively and recurringly to said bobbin thread replenishing mechanism to determine the length of thread to be replenished on said bobbin, indexing means for automatically introducing said timing means successively and recurringly, connecting means for operatively connecting that one of said timing means which has been introduced by said indexing means to the bobbin thread replenishing mechanism, actuating means for manually initiating operation of said timing means, adjusting means for manually and individually presetting each one of said timing means for a thread length to be determined thereby, and a work feed throw-out mechanism operatively connected to said timing means so as to be effective automatically during replenishment of thread on the bobbin.

4. A bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism for a sewing machine having a frame, a shaft mounted in the frame, a source of motive power for rotating the shaft, a thread supply associated with the frame, a loop-taker mechanism operatively connected to the shaft, a bobbin mounted in the loop-taker mechanism, a bobbin thread replenishing mechanism associated with the loop-taker mechanism for replenishing a length of thread from the thread supply onto the bobbin while the bobbin is in place in the loop-taker mechanism, and a thread tension device associated with the frame for the thread from the thread supply, said bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism comprising a plurality of timing means adapted to be connected successively and recurringly to said bobbin thread replenishing mechanism to determine the length of thread to be replenished on said bobbin, indexing means for automatically introducing said timing means successively and recurringly, connecting means for operatively connecting that one of said timing means which has been introduced by said indexing means to the bobbin thread replenishing mechanism, actuating means for manually initiating operation of said timing means, adjusting means for manually and individually presetting each one of said timing means for a thread length to be determined thereby, and a thread tension release mechanism operatively connected to said timing means so as to be effective automatically during replenishment of thread on the bobbin.

5. A bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism for a sewing machine having a frame, a shaft mounted in the frame, a source of motive power for rotating the shaft, a thread supply associated with the frame, a loop-taker mechanism operatively connected to the shaft, a bobbin mounted in the loop-taker mechanism, a bobbin thread replenishing mechanism associated with the loop-taker mechanism for replenishing a length of thread from the thread supply onto the bobbin while the bobbin is in place in the loop-taker mechanism, and a work feed mechanism mounted in the frame and a thread tension device associated with the frame for the thread from the thread supply, said bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism comprising a plurality of timing means adapted to beconnected successively and recurringly to said bobbin thread replenishing mechanism to determine the length of thread to be replenished on said bobbin, indexing means for automatically introducing said timing means successively and recurringly, connecting means for operatively connecting that one of said timing means which has been introduced by said indexing means to the bobbin thread replenishing mechanism, actuating means for manually initiating operation of said timing means, adjusting means for manually and individually presetting each one of said timing means for a thread length to be determined thereby, a work feed throw-out mechanism operatively connected to said timing means so as to be effective automatically during replenishment of thread on the bobbin, and a thread tension release mechanism operatively connected to said timing means so as to be effective automatically during replenishment of thread on the bobbin.

6. A bob-bin thread replenishing programming mechanism for a sewing machine having a frame, a shaft mounted in the frame, a source of motive power for rotating the shaft, a thread supply associated with the frame, a loop-taker mechanism operatively connected to the shaft, a bobbin mounted in the loop-taker mechanism, and a bobbin thread replenishing mechanism associated with the loop-taker mechanism for replenishing a length of thread from the thread supply onto the bobbin while the bobbin is in place in the loop-taker mechanism, said bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism comprising a rotatable turret mounted in the frame of the sewing machine, a plurality of stop screws mounted on the turret, a traveling member adapted to move at a constant velocity away from a predetermined one of said stop screws, cut-off means for said traveling member, indexing means for automatically rotating the turret to introduce said stop screws successively and recurringly to said traveling member, connecting means for operatively connecting said traveling member to the bobbin thread replenishing mechanism, and actuating means for manually initiating operation of said traveling member.

7. A bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism for a sewing machine having a frame, a shaft mounted in the frame, a source of motive power for rotating the shaft, a thread supply associated with the frame, a loop-taker mechanism operatively connected to the shaft, a bobbin mounted in the loop-taker mechanism, and a bobbin thread replenishing mechanism associated with the loop-taker mechanism for replenishing a length of thread from the thread supply onto the bobbin while the bobbin is in place in the loop-taker mechanism, said bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism comprising a rotatable turret mounted in the frame of the sewing machine, a plurality of stop screws mounted on the turret, a traveling member adapted to move at a constant velocity away from a predetermined one of said stop screws, cut-off means for said traveling member, indexing means for automatically rotating the turret to introduce said stop screws successively and recurringly to said traveling member, connecting means for operatively connecting said traveling member to the bobbin thread replenishing mechanism, actuating means for manually initiating operation of said traveling member, and adjusting means for manually and individually presetting each one of said stop screws for a thread length to be determined thereby.

8. A bobbin thread replenishing programming'mechanism for a sewing machine having a frame, a shaft mounted in the frame, a source of motive power for rotating the shaft, a thread supply associated with the frame, a loop-taker mechanism operatively connected to the shaft, a bobbin mounted in the loop-taker mechanism, a bobbin thread replenishing mechanism associated with the loop-taker mechanism for replenishing a a length of thread from the thread supply onto the bobbin while the bobbin is in a place in the loop-taker mechanism, a work feed mechanism mounted in the frame, and a thread tension device associated with the frame for the thread from the thread supply, said bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism comprising a rotatable turret mounted in the frame of the sewing machine, a plurality of stop screws mounted on the turret, a traveling member adapted to move at a constant velocity away from a predetermined one of said stop screws, cutoff means for said traveling member, indexing means for automatically rotating the turret to introduce said stop screws successively and recurringly to said traveling member, connecting means for operatively connecting said traveling member to the bottom thread replenishing mechanism, actuating means for manually initiating operation of said traveling member, adjusting means for manually and individually presetting each one of said stop screws for a thread length to be determined thereby, a work feed throw-out mechanism operatively connected to said traveling member means so as to be effective automatically during replenishment of thread on the bobbin, and a thread tension release mechanism operatively connected to said traveling member so as to be effective automatically during replenishment of thread on the bobbin.

9. A bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism for a sewing machine having a frame, a shaft mounted in the frame, a source of motive power for rotating the shaft, a thread supply associated with the f ame, a loop-taker mechanism operatively connected to the shaft, a bobbin mounted in the loop-taker mechanism, and a bobbin thread replenishing mechanism associated with the loop-taker mechanism for replenishing a length of thread from the thread supply onto the bobbin while the bobbin is in place in the loop-taker mechanism, said bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism comprising a rotatable turret mounted in the frame of the sewing machine, a plurality of stop screws mounted on the turret, screw threads mounted in the frame for rotation with said shaft, a traveling member having follower threads adapted to track said screw threads away from a predetermined one of said stop screws, cutoff means for the traveling member, indexing means for automatically rotating the turret to introduce said stop screws successively and recurringly to the traveling member, connecting means for operatively connecting the traveling member to the bobbin thread replenishing mechanism, actuating means for manually initiating operation of the traveling member and adjusting means for manually and individually presetting each one of said stop screws for a thread length to be determined thereby.

10. A bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism for a sewing machine having a frame, a shaft mounted in the frame, a source of motive power for rotating the shaft, a thread supply associated with the frame, a loop-taker mechanism operatively connected to the shaft, a bobbin mounted in the loop-taker mechanism, a bobbin thread replenishing mechanism associated with the loop-taker mechanism for replenishing a length of thread from the thread supply onto the bobbin while the bobbin is in place in the loop-taker mechanism, a work feed mechanism mounted in the frame, and a thread tension device associated with the frame for the thread from the thread supply, said bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism comprising, a rotatable turret mounted in the frame of the sewing machine, a plurality of stop screws mounted on the turret, screw threads mounted in the frame for rotation with said shaft, a traveling member having follower threads adapted to track said screw threads away from a predetermined one of said stop screws, cutoff means for the traveling member, indexing means for automatically rotating the turret to introduce said stop screws successively and recurringly to the traveling member, connecting means for operatively connecting the traveling member to the bobbin thread replenishing mechanism, actuating means for manually initiating operation of the traveling member, adjusting means for manually and individually presetting each one of said stop screws for a thread length to be determined thereby, a work feed throw-out mechanism operatively connected to the traveling member so as to be effective automatically during replenishment of thread on the bobbin, and a thread tension release mechanism operatively connected to the traveling member so as to be effective automatically during replenishment of thread on the bobbin.

11. A bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism for a sewing machine having a frame, a shaft mounted in the frame, a source of motive power for rotating the shaft, a thread supply associated with the frame, a loop-taker mechanism operatively connected to the shaft, a bobbin mounted in the loop-taker mechanism, and a bobbin thread replenishing mechanism associated with the loop-taker mechanism for replenishing a length of thread from the thread supply onto the bobbin while the bobbin is in place in the loop-taker mechanism, said bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism comprising, a rotatable turret mounted in the frame of the sewing machine, a plurality of stop screws mounted on the turret, screw threads mounted in the frame for rotation with said shaft, a traveling member having follower threads adapted to track said screw threads away from a predetermined one of said stop screws, cutoff means for the traveling member, a ratchet wheel operatively connected to the turret, a pawl operatively connected to the traveling member for automatically rotating the turret by means of the ratchet wheel to introduce said stop screws successively and recurringly to the traveling member, connecting means for operatively connecting the traveling member to the bobbin thread replenishing mechanism, actuating means for manually initiating operation of the traveling member, and adjusting means for manually and individually presetting each one of said stop screws for a thread length to be determined there- 12. A bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism for a sewing machine having a frame, a shaft mounted in the frame, a source of motive power for rotating the shaft, a thread supply associated with the frame, a loop-taker mechanism operatively connected to the shaft, a bobbin mounted in the loop-taker mecha nism, a bobbin thread replenishing mechanism associated with the loop-taker mechanism for replenishing a length of thread from the thread supply onto the bobbin while the bobbin is in place in the loop-taker mechanism, a work feed mechanism mounted in the frame, and a thread tension device associated with the frame for the thread from the thread supply, said bobbin thread replenishing programming mechanism comprising a rotatable turret mounted in the frame of the sewing machine, a plurality of stop screws mounted on the turret, screw threads mounted in the frame for rotation with said shaft, a traveling member having follower threads adapted to track said screw threads away from a predetermined one of said stop screws, cutoff means for the traveling member, a ratchet wheel operatively connected to the turret, a pawl operatively connected to the traveling member for automatically rotating the turret by means of the ratchet wheel to introduce said stop screws successively and recurringly to the traveling member, connecting means for operatively connecting the traveling member to the bobbin thread replenishing mechanism, actuating means for manually initiating operation of the traveling member, adjusting means for manually and individually presetting each one of said stop screws for a thread length to be determined thereby, a work feed throw-out mechanism operatively connected to the traveling member so as to be effective automatically during replenishment of thread on the bobbin, and a thread tension release mechanism operatively connected to the traveling member so as to be effective automatically during replenishment of thread on the bobbin.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,794,255 2/1931 Stephenson ll2186 X 3,012,530 12/1961 Ketterer et al. 112-181 3,103,189 9/1963 Ketterer 12-184 3,106,176 10/1963 Doerner 112181 X 3,115,110 12/1963 Ketterer 112186 X 3,115,855 12/1963 Ketterer 112184 3,303,802 2/1967 Crawford 112-184 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. H. F. ROSS, Examiner. 

1. A BOBBIN THREAD REPLENISHING PROGRAMMING MECHANISM FOR A SEWING MACHINE HAVING A FRAME, A SHAFT MOUNTED IN THE FRAME, A SOURCE OF MOTIVE POWER FOR ROTATING THE SHAFT, A THREAD SUPPLYING ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRAME, A LOOP-TAKER MECHANISM OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE SHAFT, A BOBBIN MOUNTED IN THE LOOP-TAKER MECHANISM, AND A BOBBIN THREAD REPLENISHING MECHANISM AS SOCIATED WITH THE LOOP-TAKER MECHANISM FOR REPLENISHING A LENGTH OF THREAD FROM THE THREAD SUPPLY ONTO THE BOBBIN WHILE THE BOBBIN IS IN PLACED IN THE LOOP-TAKER MECHANISM, SAID BOBBIN THREAD REPLENISHING PROGRAMMING MECHANISM COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF TIMING MEANS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED SUCCESSIVELY AND RECURRINGLY TO SAID BOBBIN THREAD REPLENISHING MECHANISM TO DETERMINE THE LENGTH OF THREAD TO BE REPLENISHED ON SAID BOBBIN, INDEXING MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY INTRODUCING SAID TIMING MEANS 